Increased density and speed of microelectronic circuitry has caused a shift in the metallization system from Al(Cu) to Cu to reduce the resistance of the conductor. At the same time, the need for higher levels of current density has exposed the Al(Cu) lines to failure by electromigration, limiting the extent to which circuit designers can increase performance. The higher melting point of Cu is expected to improve the current carrying capability of the conductors, extending electromigration lifetime. However, from our test results, we have found that the electromigration lifetime is most dependent on the atomic behavior such as atomic transport at the Cu/dielectric interface and not on the intrinsic character of the Cu lattice, grain boundary or Cu/liner interface atom transport. Thus, the specifications for allowed current in Cu conductors proved not to be significantly superior to those for Al(Cu).
The basic process for fabricating Cu conductor patterns is by the damascene method where trenches are formed in a dielectric layer, a liner is formed in the trenches and then the trenches are filled with Cu and then chemical mechanical polished (CMP) which terminates in a clean top Cu surface coplanar with the dielectric layer. Cu/metal liner interfaces are formed on the other three surfaces of the Cu conductor. The electromigration lifetime is a function of the line thickness, width and cross section area. Data from measurements showed that only the top surface was contributing to mass transport for Cu conductors with bamboo-like and near bamboo grain structure and a combination of boundary and surface were contributing to mass transport for wider lines. The same relationship was found to be independent of the Cu deposition method, i.e., whether the deposition was by Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) or electroplating, illustrating the pervasiveness of the problem. In addition to electromigration lifetime failure, it was found that Cu conductor patterns are susceptible to atomic voiding under thermal cycle stress, with voids always found to be initiated at the Cu/dielectric interface where the atomic mobility is highest. Since the copper migration rate, drift velocity, is a product of mobility (D/kT) times driving force (F) where D is the diffusivity of Cu, T is the absolute temperature in Kelvin, k is the Boltzmann constant. The driving forces, F, are Z*eE and (Ds/Dx) W for electromigration and stress induced migration forces, respectively, where Z* is the effective charge number, e is the electronic charge, E is the electric field, (Ds/Dx) is the stress gradient, and W is the atomic volume. It is now inevitable that achievement of a Cu conductor technology with which the highest performance and reliability can be realized will require alteration or modification of the Cu/dielectric interface of an overlayer to reduce Cu transport and atomic voiding.
Modification of the Cu conductor surface can be done after CMP. Then, the process should be selective to Cu and provide a thin layer on the surface of the Cu conductor so as to remain substantially coplanar with the dielectric or insulation containing the trenches. The process must result in improved adhesion between the Cu conductor and the subsequently formed dielectric over layer and improved oxidation resistance of the Cu atoms in the Cu conductor, as well as reduced atomic transport of the Cu conductor, to provide maximum reliability.